Riley

Why hello there! My name is Riley. I’m an affectionate, calm 1.5yr old Australian Cattle Dog AKA Blue Heeler girl.

It would be hard to miss my magnificent tail — but just in case you did, I thought I’d draw your attention to it! My friends at ARK say it belongs on a fox, but I think it just makes me look extra foxy. 🦊

It’s unclear how I ended up at the pound, but I am happily settling in to my new foster home. I currently live on acreage and think I really like it so far! Here’s what my foster family has learnt about me…

I am people oriented and would love to be your new best friend that you take on every adventure. True to my breed, I am a very observant girl, often watching the world around me with curiosity.

I’m still trying to figure out if I like the horses, goats, sheep and chickens that live on the property. I have been able to walk past them on a loose lead but my instinct to chase kicks in when they get on the move. On that note, previous foster carers have said that I should go to a home with no cats.

However, I do get along really well with the male dogs at my foster home. I will happily hang out with them at the dam and often play when I get the zoomies. But being the elegant girl that I am, I will also sit in the cool water while the others splash around like hooligans. At my current foster home, I have not been around any other females. But it has been passed on that I might prefer male companions.

When my shift-worker foster parents leave for work, I will chill out with the other dogs and patiently wait until they come home. It seems that I am used to being outdoors a lot.

It’s been suggested that on my journey, my name might have been changed and so I am still learning to respond to ‘Riley’. Because I love people, I will usually just follow my humans wherever they go anyway.

My foster parents are helping me practise my recall with lots of yummy treats. I LOVE food. This, coupled with my intelligent breed, makes me a highly trainable dog. I’m working on my basic commands but could use some ongoing training. You might just have to make sure you don’t leave food unattended as I LOVE to taste the flavours of the world.

I am mostly toilet trained, and shouldn’t have any accidents as long as my carers let me out as soon as I get antsy. I also will ask permission before I hop on the couch or bed. At night, I will either sleep outside on the patio or on the dog bed in my foster parents’ room.

To my foster parents’ knowledge, I have not been around kids so if my new family has them, it would be wise if the kids were old enough to understand how to respectfully interact with dogs.

I walk really well on a lead and respond well to pressure if I get a bit ahead of myself.

I haven’t had a chance to get desexed yet, as I was on heat while coming into foster care.

But don’t let that deter you because I’ll definitely be desexed soon. I’m so looking forward to meeting my furever family.